


In Need of an Outlet

by unending_happiness



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec tries to keep up, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Coffee, Coffee Shop, Eventual Smut, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Jace is a supportive brother, M/M, Magnus is the king of dirty talk, Shadowhunters AU Mondays, Simon is an amazing barista, Simon rambles, Smut, Work In Progress, all the sexual tension in the world, innuendos, just make out already, sweet words, these two idiots are adorable
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-10-05 20:16:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10316132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unending_happiness/pseuds/unending_happiness
Summary: Alec is having a horrible day. He goes to his favorite coffee shop to try and get some work done, only to find that things get worse before they get better. As if that wasn't enough, a beautiful stranger is hell bent on making him blush. What is Alec going to do to turn his day around?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for @shadowhuntersaumondays on Tumblr. This weeks prompt was coffee shops and I absolutely had to do it. Coffee is my favorite thing ever along with Malec. So here is a way longer than I anticipated AU Malec coffee shop fic. Enjoy and please feel free to leave a comment telling me what you think! 
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks a million to my beautiful beta best buddy, @LadyMatt I was driven by the desire to surprise you and make you laugh and smile with this one, M. You deserve all the happiness and dirty Malec thoughts in the world.  
> Aku cinta kamu! XX
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr @blj2007

It was barely ten o’clock and already Alec was having a shitty day. The new girl at his work with the red hair and the bubbly personality would _not_ stop talking. Then his boss was giving him a hard time for something that wasn’t even remotely his fault. So Alec had packed up his stuff and decided he would work from the coffee shop today. One of the few perks of his mom being his boss was that he could work from anywhere he wanted, as long as he got everything done. He couldn’t go home to work, because his internet was down, which he discovered this morning while trying to send an important email.

He walked into Jocelyn’s Coffee Shop, and his mood definitely only got worse with the sight before him. There were people _everywhere._ Alec had never seen his normal coffee joint this busy during a weekday. He looked around for a place to sit while he waited in line. There was another coffee place down the street, but Alec really didn’t like that one, and he hated wasting anymore of his day trying to find an alternative.

When it was his turn, the barista, Simon, asked, “The usual for you, Alec?”

“Yes, please. Hey, what is going on here today? Where did all these people come from?” Alec gestured to the crowd of unexpected patrons.

Simon smiled, “There is a convention at the college nearby. They are out of classes for the day and have some down time. You just missed being able to snag your normal table. They all poured in here about fifteen minutes ago. Pretty great for business though, and everyone has been nice.”

Alec frowned at the realization that if he hadn’t been forced to show Red around at work, he would have been here in time to get his table. He liked a certain table and chair in the back, the only single one in the whole place so nobody could sit by him. It had a perfect view of the park through a large window. He could put in his headphones, zone out, and forget he was even indoors.

Simon handed him his coffee. This time he had not only written his name, but also drawn a small picture of yoda on the side. Alec raised an eyebrow at him.

“I thought you could use something to cheer you up. You look like you aren’t having a good day,” Simon said too cheerily.

Alec raised his cup and said, “Thanks for the coffee…..and for the art.” and turned around to find a place to sit. There was only one table in the whole place open. It was near the door, which meant he would get hit with a chilly draft every time someone came in, but it would have to do. However, the draft wasn’t what was making Alec scowl at the table as he walked towards it. There were two chairs. Why in the world anyone thought that there needed to be two chairs for this tiny round table, was beyond Alec. He just knew that the next person to walk in would have to sit there, and he didn’t like sharing his space. He put his coffee and laptop down on the table and went to move the other chair over against the wall so that maybe someone would think it was an extra and not an invitation to sit down. He ignored the looks from people at the nearest table as he scooted the chair much closer to them for no obvious reason.

He sipped his coffee as he opened his laptop and pulled up his gmail, docs, and sheets. He quickly started to send off the email he’d tried to send this morning, when his screen suddenly went black. “What the fuck?!” Alec hit the power button, only to see a red battery symbol flash at him. “You have got to be kidding me,” he said under his breath. He knew for a fact he had plugged his laptop in last night. Izzy must have unplugged it to use the outlet for herself again. This fucking day was unbelievable. Alec closed his eyes, trying to reign in his temper. He thought about going home and going back to bed, just taking the day off and starting over tomorrow, but he knew that his mom would be blowing up his phone later. He gathered himself and thought, _It’s fine. Easy fix. My backup charger is in the car,_ he reminded himself. He stood up and looked around the table, and realized that something had finally gone right when he located an outlet near his feet. He motioned for Simon, gesturing for him to watch his stuff, and ran out into the chilly air to his car.

Alec walked back into the coffee shop having procured his charger, his headphones, and a notebook, with a new attitude. He was ready to work. _What the…._

When he got to his table, he almost ran into someone. Well he almost ran into someone’s ass. A really spectacular ass. Alec looked around to make sure he had the right table, and yes, he did, but it wasn’t as he left it. There was a new laptop sitting back to back with his, and a new coffee cup on the table. The chair he pushed to the side had been returned to the table, and it had a bag and a suit jacket hanging from the back of it. The man who owned those items was bent over, plugging his laptop in. Alec allowed himself to stare at that perfect ass for another couple seconds before his irritation set in.

“Excuse me, this is my table,” he informed the stranger, politely but firmly.

The man straightened up, and turned around to face him. He was the most beautiful man Alec had ever laid eyes on. All tan skin, dark rimmed eyes, and perfectly styled black hair. He had on a purple shirt with a paisley pattern, and a waistcoat, with wool fitted pants and very expensive looking shoes. Alec, who normally avoided paying attention to strangers, was raking his eyes over the man, from his hair to his shoes and back again.

“Hello, I figured we could share. You do have the last seat in the whole place, after all,” the man answered in a velvety voice.

Alec was beyond annoyed. This day got worse all the time. He had a deadline to meet and now he had to sit across from this gorgeous, well-dressed stranger and try not to stare at him. Life was really testing him today. “Yeah, I know, but this table is small, and you could have asked to sit here first, before just making yourself at home,” he retorted.

“There was no one here when I arrived, therefore I couldn’t have asked, could I?” the man answered him with a gleam in his eye that only pissed off Alec even more. Was he making fun of him?

“I had to get something from my car. I was gone two minutes, and besides, how do you know there was only one person sitting here?”

“Well, the chair was way over there, and there is only one cup of coffee sitting here. I’m no Sherlock, but it was an easy deduction to make.”

 _Damnit!_ Who would’ve thought the chair would come back to bite him in the ass. He should’ve just left it where it was. “Maybe I’m waiting on someone, and they haven’t arrived yet?” Alec countered.

The man cocked his head to the side, licked his lips, and studied Alec. “Are you waiting on someone?” he asked.

Alec suddenly felt very uncomfortable under that gaze. He considered lying to get rid of the man, but also knew that he would be busted when nobody showed up to meet him. He considered for a second calling Izzy and having her come pretend to be his coffee date, but he knew he would get even less work done sitting across from his talkative sister, than he would a stranger, albeit a beautiful one.

Alec relented, “No. I’m not. I was just trying to make a point.”

“Point taken. Let’s start over, shall we? Hello, I’m Magnus. May I please sit here in this empty chair and share this table with you for the next couple of hours?” he asked sweetly.

Alec listened to his polite question, but all he really heard was the man’s name over and over in his head. _Magnus._ A unique and beautiful name, quite fitting for this unique and beautiful man. He wanted to keep being a jerk, but he was powerless to do so. He reached out and shook Magnus’ hand, trying not to stare at all his rings and his polished nails. “Alec. Yes.”

Magnus lingered on the handshake long enough to make him start sweating, so he quickly ended it, sat in his chair, and went to plug his own laptop in. He tried again to turn it on, but was baffled when the charging light didn’t come on.

“What is happening?!” he asked incredulously at no one in particular.

Magnus chimed in, as he sat across from him, “Oh, I don’t think that outlet works. I never have any luck with it, so I use the bottom one.”

Alec scoffed, “I can’t use the bottom one. You are on the bottom.”

“Actually, I’m not, but I could be, if you buy me dinner first.” Magnus said with a wink.

Alec was speechless. He tried not to be turned on, but that brought all sorts of dirty images to his mind. He could feel himself blushing, and that just made him redden even more. He took a deep breath, “I meant that you are using the bottom plug.” he enunciated every syllable so that the other man couldn’t possibly misconstrue his words again.

“Oh, yes, of course. Well we could share. I’m good at playing nice.” Magnus’ eyes were twinkling.

Alec had to laugh at that one, “Oh my god, this day is so bizarre. Ok, well mine is at zero percent, what is yours at? Your computer, I mean.” he clarified.

“Sixty-Nine percent,” Magnus said with a grin. You plug yours in for a little while. I can wait.

 _Unbelievable._ “Nice try. You didn’t even look.”

“I don’t have to look. I know that one very well.”

Alec opened his mouth, then closed it again, several times, trying to think of something to say to that.

Magnus simply leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and sipped his coffee, turning his attention to his screen.

He looked so good. Way too good. Alec shook his head and decided to drop the subject of Magnus’ suspect battery percentage and finally got his laptop plugged in and turned on. He went to work quickly, trying to block out everything around him and make up for lost time.

He managed to get quite a bit done over the next hour. Sure, he risked a few sneaky glances at Magnus, each time marveling at how ridiculously gorgeous the man was. He was happy with his progress though, considering the colossal distraction sitting across from him. Alec’s body was reacting to Magnus, and he chalked it up to it having been way too long since he’d had sex. He wasn’t as in control as usual.

Taking a break from his spreadsheet, he took a drink of his coffee, and just about spit it back out over his keys. He had been distracted and grabbed the wrong cup. The sickly sweet concoction made his taste buds revolt. “Gross. What is this?!?!”

Magnus calmly looked up, his pen dancing around in his fingers, “Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel and coconut milk.”

“That is disgusting. I don’t know how you drink that.” Alec scrunched up his face.

“Some of us like sweet things in and around our mouths,” Magnus said, gesturing around his mouth with his pen, before picking up Alec’s cup and drinking from it. “There. We are even, and I’m pretty sure besides you, only sixty-year-old truck drivers drink black coffee. Also, could you plug me in, please? I’m getting really far away from sixty-nine and it’s making me sad.” He handed Alec his cup back and went back to his screen.

Alec tried really fucking hard to not to imagine a naked Magnus pouting between his thighs while those devilish words came out of his mouth but he was getting weaker by the moment. So when Magnus picked up both their cups, deposited them in the trash, and went to go order them fresh ones, he made his situation worse by checking out Magnus’ body as he walked to the counter. He decided that there was no way that he was going to be standing up to go anywhere unless he wanted to broadcast his erection with his very own signal mast. “Fuck” he whispered. Never in his life had someone gotten such a reaction out of him with just words, let alone a stranger. He should have gotten up and left, went back to the office, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay where he was and see how this played out.

He watched intently as Magnus talked to Simon, both of them laughing about something, and he had to admit that his table-mate’s smile was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. He tried to look busy when Magnus suddenly turned around and walked back with two coffees. He only glanced up when a new cup was held out for him.

“Oh, um, thank you, but you didn’t have to do that,” Alec said, accepting his cup.

“I know I didn’t, but when I took a drink of yours I noticed that it was nearly gone, and I prefer mine to be hot, so I decided to get us new ones.”

He replied, “Well, thanks again. I need all the caff--” Alec stopped talking and pointed to his coffee cup. “What is this?” he asked.

“Simon’s artwork, of course. Everyone gets one on their cup. You don’t like it as well as Yoda?” Magnus teased slyly.

Alec looked again at the word drawn in fancy script on his cup. He had no idea what it meant.

**Menyenangkan**

“What does it mean?” he asked, knowing that he was most definitely looking at another language.

“I don’t know, Alexander. After all, Simon is the one who wrote it on your cup,” Magnus answered.

“Uh-huh, sure, so then you have something like that on yours too,” Alec said sarcastically, looking around his computer to see the cup in question.

He balked when he saw that Magnus did in fact have an unknown word in fancy script written on his cup as well.

**Kepincut**

“You really aren’t going to tell me what these mean? You know I can just google them, right?” He gestured to his computer.

“Oh I have no doubt you will. I’m counting on it, actually,” Magnus said, as he sat down and rolled up his sleeves.

 _Damnit all to hell._ He watched as those lovely ringed fingers went to work. How did Magnus make even something as normal as that seem tantalizing?! He refused to stare at his biceps. Okay, maybe he stared at them for just a few seconds, but then he was done. He took a sip of his coffee, and stared at his screen, way too distracted to get any actual work accomplished. Alec was frustrated. He was dying to google whatever language this was to see what it meant, but he didn’t want to give in to this sexy guy who thought he knew everything. It was probably something vulgar meant to get under his skin, anyway.

Alec was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Magnus’ voice. “Bane,” he said quietly as he put his phone to his ear. “Yes, I am perfectly aware of the time.”

Alec’s stomach sank with an irrational fear of this man leaving to go to whatever appointment he was late for.

Magnus looked up at him as he responded to whoever was on the other end of his phone, “Reschedule it. I’m not done here.” Then he mouthed “sorry” to Alec.

Alec knew that the other man was apologizing for interrupting his work with the phone call, but his mind was reeling at the fact that Magnus just opted to reschedule an appointment to stay here with him. No, not with him…..stay here to work. That’s what he meant. He tried to keep his expression as neutral as possible as he mouthed, “It’s ok.” back at him.

Magnus smiled at him before turning his attention back to his conversation. “I am also aware of that. It’s almost like you didn’t hear me when I told you to _reschedule_ it.” Magnus sighed, “Yes…..No…...I’m sure….Thank _you_ and goodbye!” and just like that he ended the call.

Alec found himself wondering what kind of job Magnus had. Obviously he was in charge, which intrigued him and he wanted to know more. Despite himself, he was just about to ask him when Magnus asked, “Do you want me to move?”

Alec furrowed his brow in confusion, “Why would I want you to move?”

Magnus gestured to the now nearly empty coffee shop, “The college kids must have had someplace to be. We don’t have to share anymore.”

Alec looked around, and found that he was right. There were now quite a few tables open, including his usual, favorite one. However, that spot seemed way less enticing to him than it had just a few hours before. He didn’t want to leave the company of this man, but he didn’t know how to say that. He was terrible at flirting, and he scrambled around trying to think of what to say.

“Well you did buy me coffee, so it would be rude to make you leave now,” he said, delighted with himself for thinking of something even remotely witty to say.

“Well then, what would happen if I were to buy you dinner?” Magus inquired.

Before he really had time to think of what he was saying, Alec shrugged and blurted out, “Sixty-Nine?” He was smug about the wide eyed expression he got back from Magnus.

Quickly recovering, Magnus once again upped the ante, “Oh, darling, I fear I have over sold my love of that particular position. It isn’t even my favorite one. Not even close.”

Alec pursed his lips. He knew Magnus wanted him to ask him which was his favorite, but he was getting in over his head here, so he groaned and covered his face with his hands instead. Alec breathed deeply, trying to get his bearings. When he dropped his hands, and looked up, Magnus was gone. _Where did he go?_ It didn’t take him long to spot him walking into the hallway that led to the restrooms.

He took his chance to solve the mystery of the words on his cup. Pulling up Google translate, he typed in the word on his cup first, and was struck when his screen told him that “menyenangkan” was Indonesian for “lovely”. Nobody had ever called him lovely before. His heart swelled in his chest as he hurried to type in the word on Magnus’ cup as well. It turned out that “kepincut” was “smitten”. Alec leaned back in his chair, stunned. Magnus was smitten with him and thought he was lovely? This was unbelievable. He had no idea how this incredible man could be that into him, but he was bursting with joy at the thought of this actually going somewhere.

After a moment’s hesitation, he pushed back his chair and decided to follow Magnus, stopping himself outside the restroom door. He hadn’t thought this through. Of course he couldn’t just barge in there and ask him how he felt. That would be highly inappropriate. Not wanting to go back to his seat, but not quite sure what else to do, Alec leaned against the wall and waited for Magnus to come out, doing his best to look cool and calm, even though he was feeling anything but that.

Magnus walked out a moment later, and gave a small look of surprise at seeing him there. “Alexander. Can I help you with something?” he purred.

 _Yes. With lots of things,_ he thought, but he ignored the part of his brain that was thinking about sex and focused on the words written on those cups.

“Did you mean it? Or were you screwing with me? Wait..How do you know my name is Alexander?” Alec asked.

Magnus smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, “Well, Simon told me your full name. He’s such a talkative one. And I _always_ mean what I say, but which thing are you referring to?” Magnus stepped closer into his personal space, so close that Alec could smell his cologne, and his head started buzzing.

“Um, the word, on the cup. Did you mean that?” Alec barely breathed the words out, and was thankful that Magnus was close enough to hear him.

He watched, completely frozen in place, as Magnus leaned in, his mouth right near his ear, and said, “Menyenangkan. _You_ are lovely.”

Alec felt Magnus’ breath on his neck, and he couldn’t hide the shiver that ran all the way down his body as an overwhelming wave of desire washed over him. He watched as Magnus took a step back, bit his bottom lip, before exiting the corridor, way too soon. He wanted to yell for him to come back, wanted to kiss him, maybe start tearing his clothes off. _What the fuck._ He felt like he was in an alternate universe. He sighed, letting out a breath that he wasn’t even aware he had been holding in, and tried to gather himself, telling his dick to calm down and his brain to think straight.

Once he had his regained some composure, he walked back to their area, only to see that Magnus wasn’t there. Confused, he looked around the coffee shop, but didn’t see him. He couldn’t have gone far, considering his computer was still sitting there. Something caught his eye, and he looked up to see Simon pointing outside. He looked over to see Magnus standing outside, facing away from the window, animatedly talking on the phone, and gesturing with his free hand.

Alec breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, and checked his own phone notifications. _Of course!_ He had three missed calls and five messages. Swiping down, he was unsurprised when he saw that all the calls were from his mother, as were two of the messages. He ignored those and opened Lydia’s message first.

**Sorry to bother you Alec, but Maryse is on a warpath. Something about a file not getting emailed on time today. She can’t get ahold of you, so she is taking it out on Raj. Maybe you better come back to the office?**

_Shit!_ He had gotten that file out late this morning, and while it wasn’t necessarily his fault that the universe was working against him, it definitely wasn’t Raj’s. He had done his part on the project. He sent a quick text to both Lydia and his mother letting them know he was coming to take care of it, and started gathering his belongings. He had to go keep Raj from getting fired.

Alec looked outside to see that Magnus was still on the phone, and not even on the same side of the building as where his car was parked. He really didn’t want to leave without making a move with him, but he didn’t want to walk outside and interrupt his call to say goodbye, either. There was no way he could go without arranging to see him again. Thinking quickly, he pulled a business card out of his wallet and strategically placed it on top of Magnus’ keyboard. As he picked up his coffee cup, he was hit with an idea. He typed something into google on his phone, picked the card back up, wrote on the back of it, and placed it back down as it was.

“Hey, Simon. Can you watch his stuff until he gets back in here?” he asked. “Something’s come up and I have to go.”

“Sure thing, Alec. Hey, did you want me to tell him anything else? I could give him a message or something,” Simon smiled.

Alec squinted one eye at him suspiciously, but replied, “Uh, you know what, yeah actually,” he slapped a ten dollar bill on the counter, “Give him a biscotti from me. Keep the change.” and then turned around and practically ran to the door to avoid any further embarrassing conversation with the barista.

Four hours after he ran out of the coffee shop, Alec was finally leaving the office. He had rescued Raj just in the nick of time, effectively talking Maryse out of ruining anyone for now. With every loose end tied up, he said goodbye to Lydia, and went off in search of food. He tried to not think of the handsome stranger he spent his morning with, or wonder how his message was received, but he was failing miserably.

Alec’s phone buzzed, and he looked down to see a text from a number he didn’t recognize. His heart started thrumming in his chest double-time as he swiped on the message.

**Alexander, imagine my surprise when I returned from my phone call to find something long and delicious waiting for me. And “Sangat tertarik”?! I too, am very interested. Dinner tomorrow? (Don’t worry. I won’t hold you to your promise of my 5th favorite sexual position….just dinner this time.)**

Alec couldn’t stop from laughing. This man was going to either be the death of him or pure heaven. He sent back a message.

**Okay, I’ll bite...You can tell me your favorite, when I meet you at 8!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus go on their first date, and Alec tries to keep up with Magnus' flirting. They have coffee together again and talk about the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my one-shot is now a multi-chapter at your request :) I hope that you enjoy it as much as the first Chapter. Right now I'm thinking it will be 7 chapters including the epilogue.
> 
> Beta'd by my very favorite beta bestie in the whole wide world, @LadyMatt. I love you more than Magnus loves Alec's gun.
> 
> My beautiful friend, @daemonya made the loveliest aesthetic for this. Check it out here: 
> 
> https://blj2007.tumblr.com/post/158483209651/daemonya-aesthetic-for-the-amazing-fanfic-in

Alec nervously paced the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. Magnus had texted him this morning suggesting they meet outside at eight. So here he was, downtown at Santiago’s Bar and Grill, fifteen minutes early and trying not to be incredibly nervous. He had never been here before, but after googling it, he decided that something from his wardrobe would suffice. He had settled on a lightweight navy blue v-neck sweater, his nicest jeans, and brown boots. Izzy helped him decide what to wear, even though he refused to tell her who he was meeting. She became so excited by the opportunity to dress him, that she wasn’t too mad about his lack of information. He promised her that if it went anywhere, he would tell her who he was seeing. He wasn’t sure where this was going and he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. All he knew was that one day he was scolding a beautiful, flirty stranger for sitting at his table, and the next day they were meeting for dinner.

“Alexander! You’re early,” his date called out.

Alec turned and looked at Magnus. He was wearing a blue velvet blazer, with a lighter blue shirt underneath, black fitted dress pants, and shiny black shoes. “And underdressed as well, apparently,” Alec said, eyes roaming over Magnus’ attire.

“Nonsense. You look wonderful. I am usually the most elaborately dressed person in any room. You’ll get used to it,” he said with a wink.

“If you say so,” he teased.

“I do.” He motioned to the door. “Shall we?”

Alec held the door open for him, taking the opportunity to check him out as he went through. _Wow._ He definitely wasn’t sure he would ever get used to this.

He looked around the place Magnus had chosen. It wasn’t quite like anywhere he had ever been before. There was a long bar spanning the whole left wall, where people were lined up on stools. There were tables of various sizes, topped with cloths, bouquets of flowers, and candles. The overhead lighting was dim, and the whole place was decorated in dark wood with black accents. It was fairly small and simple, but fancy nonetheless. He didn’t see a hostess, and Alec wasn’t sure what to do, so he followed Magnus’ lead and walked over to the bar.

“Mr. Bane, it’s nice to see you again. It’s been too long,” the woman behind the bar greeted him with a smile.

“Maia, my dear. Lovely to see you too. WIll you ever call me Magnus? I’ve been well, just busy with work. How are you?” Magnus seemed genuinely happy to see her.

“I’m great! You know Raphael! He would not be happy if he heard me calling a customer by their first name, even you!” She looked past Magnus at him and her smile got even bigger. “Your normal table okay tonight?”

Magnus hesitated and then said, “Actually, I think I’d like the one in the back,” as he pointed a polished finger at the table he was referring to.

“Of course. Something a little more private tonight. Go ahead. I’ll let him know you are here,” she said, before turning to hand the drink she had been mixing to a man at the bar.

Magnus started walking toward the back, looking behind him once to make sure that Alec was still following him, and led them to a small table for two tucked in the corner. They had been seated for a moment, when a pale, dark haired man with a serious expression came out from the back and over to their table.

“Magnus. Where have you been? It’s almost like you forgot how good my food is,” the man said, without even a hint of humor in his voice.

“I’m happy to see you too, my dear friend. I could never forget your food. I’ve just been extraordinarily busy, and in any case, it’s only been a month.” Magnus stood up and hugged his friend, who Alec noticed didn’t seem to really reciprocate, just sighing and patting him on the back.

Raphael turned his attention to him and asked, “Who are you?”

“I, uh, I’m Alec. Alec Lightwood.” It was hard to form a coherent response under that steely gaze.

“Alec, this is Raphael, one of my oldest and dearest friends, and the owner of this fine establishment. Don’t let his prickly demeanor fool you. He’s a cream puff,” Magnus answered, looking at his friend like he dared him to disagree.

Raphael said, “I’ll give you cream puff, Bane.” but was more amiable as he asked for their drink orders.

Magnus looked at him, “Alexander, what are you going to have to drink?”

“Are we talking _drinks_ drinks? The alcoholic kind?” Alec felt like such an idiot asking, but he didn’t want to order a beer if Magnus was getting a soda or something. Raphael’s eye roll didn’t escape his attention, and it was unsettling being face to face with someone saltier than he was.

“Is there any other kind of drink?” Magnus asked, amusedly.

“Well, there’s _coffee._ ” Alec countered, remembering how they met and the sweet words written in another language on a cup. He blushed at the thought. Was that really only yesterday?

“I stand corrected. There’s coffee and there is alcohol, and I will definitely be having a ‘ _drink_ drink,’” Magnus repeated his words back to him with a smug look on his face.

Not wanting to make a fool of himself any further, he said, “Alcohol it is. I’m not a big drinker, so I’ll just try whatever you are having.”

“Wonderful. Raph, we will have a bottle of Malbec.”

Raphael shook his head, “Matching outfits _and_ matching drinks. It seems we have some catching up to do, Magnus. I’ll have Maia bring it over. Do you need a menu?” Raphael asked.

“Alec will need to see one, please, if you would ask Maia to bring one with the wine.”

Raphael nodded at his friend, stopping momentarily at the bar, before disappearing back through the doorway he’d used to arrive.

Alec looked from his clothes to Magnus’ and back again. They were both wearing blue, but they weren’t exactly the same shade.

“Don’t listen to him,” Magnus reassured him. “I’m pretty sure he’s color blind.”

Alec shrugged, “He’s right though. Our clothes are kinda matchy.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Magnus said, tapping polished fingers on the table, “If it bothers you, we can always take them off.” He shrugged. “I can start removing layers right now,” Magnus challenged, before slipping off his jacket and hanging it over the back of the chair.

 _Oh boy._ He really didn’t want to object, but he wasn’t confident that Magnus would stop at just the jacket. He seemed like he was a man with strong follow through, so when he started unbuttoning the top of his shirt, Alec held up a hand. “No, I’m good. I’m fine with matching right now. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let you know,” he said with a grin. He had never met anyone who was so bold before. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.

“Suit yourself. The offer stands,” Magnus said.

Maia came to their table, with a bottle of wine, two glasses, a menu, and water. “Malbec. Good choice. You having steak?” She uncorked the bottle and poured them both a glass.

“Always. I’ll have my usual. Alec will need a moment with the menu,” Magnus said, handing it to him.

“Actually, I’m sure you have tasted everything here, so whatever you are having is probably the best.” He took the menu from Magnus and handed it back to Maia, saying, “I’ll have the same as him. Thank You.”

“Perfect, that’s two filet mignons with truffled mashed potatoes and asparagus coming right up. You boys let me know if you need anything else.” She left the bottle of wine on the table and went back to the bar.

Magnus took a sip of his wine, “Good choice. I do have excellent taste.”

Alec wanted this date to go well, and he really needed to relax a little. He took a drink of his wine, and immediately wished he hadn’t taken such a big one. It was really strong and he had been expecting it to be cold, but it was warm, which had him making a face as he swallowed.

He looked up to see that Magnus was smiling into his glass and watching him. “Malbec wine is an acquired taste, I suppose. It’s quite strong. I fell in love with it in Argentina, and it quickly became one of my favorites. It’s great paired with steak, but people who aren’t serious wine drinkers are often put off with it being served warm. Would you like me to ask Maia for something else? It’s no trouble.”

He shook his head, “No, no. I’m fine, really. We have the whole bottle here already.” He didn’t want a fuss made over him. It wasn’t Maia’s fault he was such an amateur wine drinker.

“This will help then,” Magnus used his spoon to fish ice cubes out of a glass of water and deposit them into Alec’s wine. “Give that a moment, and I think you’ll like it better.”

“Thank You,” he said and then quickly changed the subject, “So, what do you do? For work, I mean.” _How cliche, I’m so bad at this,_ he thought, but Magnus looked happy enough to answer.

“I actually have my own business, The Bane Event. We specialize in event planning,” Magnus said.

Alec knew firsthand that running your own business was no small feat, so he was impressed. “Wow, ok, so you are a party planner?”

“Well, I started out as a party planner, yes. I worked my way up from doing birthday parties and weddings by myself, and now I’m planning events for large companies, and entire cities even. I now employ over a hundred people. We aren’t massive, but I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished,” Magnus said with confidence.

He was amazed. He had watched his grandparents, and then his parents, run their family business since he was young and he knew the long hours and insane amount of dedication and hard work it took. Taking over an already established family business was nowhere near as difficult as building your own business from the ground up.

Magnus, that’s incredible. I’m sure you’ve worked very hard to get where you are,” Alec said, folding his arms on the table, and leaning towards him.

“It certainly took a lot of effort, but I have two trusted friends who work for me and have helped me build my brand. To be honest, it really seemed like the only path for me. I don’t do well having a boss, and one must either _have_ a boss or _be_ the boss, so I chose the latter. I very much like to be in control, Alexander.” Magnus’ eyes dared him to respond.

His full name, coming out of that mouth, should be a sin. He usually hated when people called him that, but the first time Magnus said it in the coffee shop, he had been surprised with how much he liked it.

“Do you? Hmmm. That’s interesting, because I like to be in control too.” Alec took another sip of his wine. He knew he would need it for whatever response Magnus would give him.

Magnus bit his bottom lip. _Oh shit._ “Well, then, it’s a good thing that I excel at getting people to see how pleasurable it can be to relinquish control.” Magnus fixed him with a steady gaze, and he suddenly felt like a heat wave had blown through the restaurant. The images flashing through his mind were certainly not helping matters. Alec thought about what to say. He could either encourage the riskier tone of the conversation, or he could bring it back to more innocent topics. Part of him really wanted to challenge Magnus. It wouldn’t be hard, to just up the ante, the wine making him feel braver than usual.

In the end, he decided on something in the middle. “And exactly how do you have time to do that, while also running your business?” He asked.

Magnus didn’t miss a beat, “Alexander, there is no such thing as having _time_ for anything. If someone tells you they don’t have time, what they really mean is that it isn’t a priority. Also, how do you know I wasn’t speaking of getting people to give up control in a business sense?”

“Were you?” Alec asked, shrugging.

“Of course not,” Magnus answered, leaning back in his chair, and twirling a ring around on his finger. “So, tell me, what are your priorities?”

Alec wasn’t sure he had ever been asked that before. He also wasn’t sure how to answer it without sounding lame. He basically just had his work and his family, and seeing as those two things kind of merged into one, it sounded even more mundane. He nervously drummed his fingers on the table, answering, “I work a lot, so I’d say that’s a big priority, probably bigger than it should be. And my family. My family is important to me. I have a sister and two brothers, and we’re close.”

Magnus smiled, “We have that in common then, the work part anyway. Can I ask what you do?”

“My family owns a business too. Guardian Security. We provide private security for individuals and businesses. My grandparents started it fifty years ago, and my parents own it now. I work for them.”

“I’ve heard of Guardian. We have gone with Valentines for any security we’ve needed in the past for events, but we haven’t been very pleased with some of their methods, as of late. We’ve been thinking of switching. Catarina prepared a list of alternative companies for me to consider, and you are on my short list.”

“That’s great. Not to sway your decision or anything, but if you have any questions or need help, I would be happy to put you in touch with the right person,” Alec said, beyond pleased to have another reason to talk to Magnus.

“What do you do there? Are you helping your parents run things?” Magnus asked.

“No. Not usually. I primarily work in the field, but I have been covering in the office temporarily. I have a business degree, so I have flexibility, but I definitely prefer to be on assignment. We just hired someone, so as soon as I train her, I can go back to my normal job. Working for my parents isn’t…..the easiest. I’ll be glad when this is over.” He was surprised at how easy it was for him to share all of this information with Magnus, and feeling no embarrassment in doing so. Maybe this is just what a good date was like? His limited experience didn’t afford him much of an opinion.

“So, you work in the field? As in, you are the one protecting clients?” Magnus looked at him curiously.

“Well, yes. I’ve had plenty of training to do it, and I usually work with my brother, Jace. We make a good team.”

“You carry a gun then?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah, I carry a gun. Usually only when I’m working, but sometimes when I’m off too. Depends on the situation.” Alec watched as Magnus seemed to contemplate that for a moment. _Shit!_ What if he was anti-gun or something? He shifted in his seat, unsure under the intensity of Magnus’ gaze.

 

“Do you have a big gun?” Magnus asked, surprising him.

Alec wasn’t quite sure how to answer that question. Big in relation to what? “Umm. I have a Glock twenty-two, which is the same one that most police officers carry. It’s hard to describe how big it is. It gets the job done. I can show you sometime, if you want to see it.”

Magnus had a mischievous look on his face, “I’m most definitely going to need visual confirmation of how big your weapon is. I’ll also need to see how many rounds it can shoot off.”

He tried hard not to smile, as he shook his head and sighed. He refused to take his eyes off Magnus, even as he felt his face heating up. How in the hell had he not seen that one coming?!

He took a deep breath, “Like I said, I can show you, if you want.”

“I _do_ want you to show me. How about right now? This seems like a great time.” Magnus cocked his head to the side, a smirk on his face, clearly pleased with himself.

Alec blanched, “Right now? As in, right here in your friend’s restaurant?”

Magnus sighed, “I suppose you are right. That would be absolutely crazy.”

Alec’s relief was short-lived as he followed it with, “Raphael has a private office we could make use of, providing I could make it worth his while. He has been asking to use my flat in Paris.”

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._ He was a little miffed at losing this game of words with Magnus, but he was also turned-on. He actually considered it for half a second, before he remembered to be nervous.

“Would you really do that, Magnus?” he whispered in disbelief.

“I absolutely would. Say the word, and it’s done.” Magnus promised.

Alec believed him. He just couldn’t wrap his head around anyone going after something they wanted so freely and without apology, and the thought of Magnus wanting _him_ was arousing. He actually wanted him, _right now._ He was reeling, trying to process this information, and what he wanted to do with it, when Maia saved him by bringing their dinner to the table.

Magnus didn’t miss a beat, turning his attention to Maia and chatting with her as she refilled their wine glasses. Alec took advantage of them being distracted to get himself under control.

After Maia left, they fell into a rhythm of comfortable conversation, with Magnus regaling him with stories about his friends, Cat and Ragnor, and him telling Magnus all about Jace, Izzy, and Max, in between bites of the best steak he had ever had. They finished off the bottle of wine, and talked about travel and college over a shared piece of triple chocolate mousse cake. As far as dates went, it couldn’t have been any better, and Alec found himself not wanting it to end. He could listen to Magnus talk about absolutely anything for hours. He was endeared by it all: the sound of his voice, the way his eyes lit up when he got to the good part of a story, his wide smile when Alec laughed along with him over a joke. He was mesmerized by this man, and he was a little sad that the night was coming to a close.

“Oh, dear. Is that really the time? I have an early meeting.” Magnus looked at his watch, frowning.

“Yeah, I need to go too.” Alec pulled his wallet out to pay, just as Magnus stood up. “Um, do we have a bill?”

Magnus shook his head, putting his jacket on, “Raphael and I like to play this game where he refuses to let me pay, so I leave an absurd tip.” Magnus reached into his jacket.

“I can leave the tip, then?” Alec said, as he tried to calculate how much qualified as an absurd amount for a tip, when of course a certain number popped in his head, “Sixty-Nine dollars enough?”

He watched as Magnus smirked and pulled three hundred dollar bills from his money clip and dropped them on the table. “How about you get the next one?”

Wow, he wasn’t kidding about the amount being absurd, but at the moment all he could focus on was the possibility of a next time with Magnus. “Yeah, that sounds great. I’ll hold you to that.”

The sweet smile he got in return made him giddy. He felt like he was floating as they said their goodbyes to Maia and stepped outside into the night air. The evening had passed so quickly since they’d stood there earlier, and Alec tried to think of what he wanted to say before they parted ways.

“So...I bought you dinner.” Magnus said, turning to face Alec.

“You did.” Alec agreed.

A group of people walked by, causing Magnus to lower his voice as he placed a hand on his chest and pushed him gently backwards, until he hit the wall, “And it’s pretty rude of you to bring up the whole sixty-nine thing while I’m trying to be a gentleman and keep it just dinner, like I said.”

Alec was caught off guard, and he paused for a moment, eyes on the hand on his chest, until it fell away. His eyes held a hint of mischief as he glanced up, “Oh, I think you’ll be ok. After all, it’s only your fifth favorite position.”

Magnus laughed loudly at that, and Alec felt so proud that he was able to get such an enthusiastic response from him. He was still grinning when Magnus shook his head slightly, and asked, “Are you curious about the other four?”

“A little,” Alec said, trying to play it cool.

“Just a little?” Magnus put his hand on the wall next to Alec’s head and leaned into him.”Will you have coffee me this week?”

“Yes. I’d like that.” Alec pulled out his phone to check his calendar, praying that his schedule wasn’t full, “Could you do Thursday around eleven?”

“I could.” Magnus responded.

“Don’t you need to check your schedule?” Alec asked, thinking about how everyone he knew was so busy that they needed to check their phones before doing anything, and they didn’t have companies to run.

“Well, you see, Alec. I am the boss, and fortunately for me, I can sneak out whenever I want to have coffee with a handsome man. Even if that handsome man happens to be a tease.” Magnus raised his eyebrows at him, a dare.

Deciding he needed to take immediate action, Alec grabbed the lapels of Magnus’ jacket and pulled him close, eyes flickering from his mouth to his eyes, and back again, gauging his reaction. When Magnus parted his lips and leaned in, he whispered, “How’s this for tease?”, closed the distance and pressed their lips together. Alec had never had a kiss like this one. He was breathless from the moment their lips touched, his body buzzing with energy that threatened to spill over, the sensation of their lips moving together both too much and not enough. When he felt Magnus’ tongue demand entry, he opened immediately, moaning without a trace of embarrassment, as he matched his enthusiasm.

It was Magnus who pulled away first, gasping. He pressed a soft kiss to Alec’s cheek, and took a step back. Alec’s hands felt like jelly as he let them fall. He took an unsteady breath and swallowed, “Wow.” _Did he say that out loud?_

Magnus was rubbing his finger and thumb across his bottom lip, and the gesture only served to hinder his recovery. “Indeed. You never cease to amaze me, Alec. We should go our separate ways now, unless you want me getting naked on the street.”

“Yeah, good idea...uh, not the naked part, the leaving part,” he said, even as his mind conjured up the most delicious images. “I’ll see you Thursday at Jocelyn’s?

“See you Thursday. Thank you for a lovely evening.” Magnus turned gracefully, and after a small wave, walked off in the direction of his apartment.

* * *

Alec walked into Jocelyn’s Thursday morning, about ten minutes early for his coffee date with Magnus. He was hoping to beat him there so that he could be the one to pay for their coffee this time, but Magnus was already seated at the table they had shared before, with two coffee cups, totally engrossed in his phone. He looked up at Simon who waved and grinned from ear to ear. Alec gave him a halfhearted wave back and groaned inwardly.

He was a little disappointed that Magnus was still a step ahead of him, but it was clear that he didn’t know he had arrived yet, so he quietly walked over to him and said, “Excuse me, Sir, but this is my table.”

Magnus’ sly smile made his stomach flip-flop. “Oh, is that so? Well I’m sorry, but you are going to have to find another place to sit, because this seat is reserved for a good kisser who drinks terrible coffee.”

Alec sat down across from Magnus and took a drink, “Lucky for you that I am both an excellent kisser and a lover of terrible coffee...” He eyed both his and Magnus’ cups suspiciously, “....and speaking of which, what do these say?” he gestured to the words written in another language.

“Hmmm. I don’t know. Is Simon doing that thing again? He must really like you.” Magnus put his phone away and leaned back in his chair. He was wearing another shirt and waistcoat combo today. This time a light pink shirt with polka dots, and a black textured waistcoat. He had on his usual rings and necklaces, but his hair was slightly different, softer, and his eye makeup was heavier. He looked really good, and Alec was itching to touch him.

“Are you going to make me google it again?” He pulled out his own phone, “or are you going to be reasonable and tell me?”

“Now where is the fun in that, Alexander?” Magnus replied, tapping his ringed fingers against the table.

“FIne. I just won’t look,” Alec teased.

Magnus was nonplussed, “They hold the same meaning, whether you look or not,” he shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. “Shall we chat while you aren’t googling words?” he asked, “How has your day been? Are you back in the field yet?” Magnus asked.

“It’s been okay. I’ll be there Monday, and it can’t come soon enough. Clary, the girl I’m training, is really nice, but she is way too bubbly for me. I’m exhausted by the end of the day.” Alec told him, trying to ignore his curiosity.

“I’m pleased you’ll be back doing what makes you happy. I’ve been very lucky with the people I spend time with at work. Cat is a doll, and while Ragnor is insufferable at times, we get along very well. We are like a well oiled machine, which makes things much easier.”

“Definitely. Jace and I are like that. It’s especially important in our line of work that you have trust and are comfortable with each other.

“I can imagine,” Magnus shifted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, “So, since you will be back to dangerous feats soon, are you ready to show me your gun yet? I should really inspect it and make sure it’s in good working order,” he deadpanned.

“Oh my god. You are incorrigible. I don’t even have my gun today, sorry. Ask me again on Monday.”

“I get to see you Monday?” Magnus asked.

“Well, you could, but are you sure you want to see me that much? Four times in one week is a lot. That’s serious dating,” Alec asked, wondering exactly what was going on between them. This was their second date in three days, not counting their first meeting at the coffee shop, and they had also texted each other quite a few times. He was really glad it was going so well, but it also seemed a little too good to be true, and he wanted to know what Magnus’ thoughts were on it.

“Are we not dating?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah, I mean..I want to date you, I’m just not sure what you want out of this.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, trying to organize his thoughts. “Look, I’m not great at this, and you clearly have more..experience than me. I don’t mean to be all serious about it so soon, but it would help if I knew what you wanted. I’m just not sure what you-”

Magnus interrupted him, “You think I just want to sleep with you?” making Alec wish he had the ability to talk that bluntly about such a topic. Magnus made it look so easy.

“I don’t know…” Alec admitted. “Do you want to?”

“Yes, I do. I think I’ve made myself pretty clear about that, but I also want to date you, as in going on dates and getting to know each other better. I want to invest time and effort and see where this goes.” Magnus explained, reaching across the table and patting Alec’s hand reassuringly.

“Right, but isn’t there like an order that we should do things in?” Alec asked, looking down at the table, trying to shake his nerves.

“Don’t do that. Don’t overthink things. There is no order. There is nothing wrong with physical intimacy. There is nothing wrong with _only_ having sex with someone and not even having a relationship, if two people so desire. People have such a close minded mentality about this sometimes, and I find it very frustrating. I have met people who I only want to have sex with, which is fine as long as it’s mutual, but that isn’t what’s going on with you. My heart has been closed off for a while now, but you’ve unlocked something in me. Believe me, I would have never taken you to meet Raphael if I didn’t think I might be able to have a relationship with you.”

“Yeah, okay. I want that too. I’ve just never met anyone like you, before. I’m trying to wrap my head around it.” Alec admitted.

“I understand,” Magnus said sincerely.

“So if I said I wanted to take things slow?” Alec inquired, bracing himself, even with recent reassurances from Magnus.

“Then I would say, wonderful, you owe me a dinner date,” Magnus answered with a small smile.

“And...” Alec hesitated, finding this hard to say out loud, “...and if I said I wanted to show you my gun,” he couldn’t help but grin at the absurd innuendo.

“Then, I would say my loft is nearby, I’m cancelling my afternoon appointments, let’s go now, and also, you still owe me a dinner date.” Magnus cocked his head, studying Alec, and licked his lips,“Is that what you want?” he asked.

Alec hesitated, very tempted to just call in sick to work and stay with Magnus,“Not today, I don’t think. I have an afternoon I can’t cancel.” Alec said, not trying to hide the hint of disappointment in his voice.

“Fair enough,” Magnus said, finishing off his coffee. “Then I should really get going to my appointments. Will you call me later, gorgeous?”

“I will.” Alec said, getting up and kissing Magnus goodbye, quickly. He still wasn’t really good with public displays of affection, but he wanted to do it.

When Magnus left, he turned his attention back to the cups, and pulled up the translator on his phone.

It appeared to be Indonesian again today, and Alec made a mental note to ask Magnus about the language. He was fluent in Spanish himself, so that would make for interesting conversation. He googled his first. Written on his cup was **yg menggiurkan** and the translator said that was “seductive”. Alec couldn’t help but smile, even as he shook his head. Seeing himself through Magnus’ eyes was fascinating, if unbelievable.

He turned his attention to Magnus’ cup, which had been left on the table, **tergoda** was the word on his. Alec discovered that meant “tempted”. He was sure the smile would never leave his face. He felt giddy as he grabbed both cups to take them to the trash, and nearly bumped right into his sister.

“Hey big brother, I didn’t know you were going to be here today,” she said, “Are you meeting someone?” as she pointed at the second drink in his hand.

“Ah, no...no...uhhh...Simon just screwed up my order, so he had to make me a new one. Gotta get back to work, Izzy, you know Mom.” He dumped both cups in the trash and turned back around to give his sister a hug. He looked over his shoulder at Simon and gave him a death stare that meant do not say a word and quickly exited the building.

“Alec, wait. Is it the same one from the other night? Did he like the blue sweater?” Izzy yelled after him. He ignored her and practically ran to his car.

Once he was safely locked in his car, he texted Magnus.

**Seductive? Really? I’m pretty sure that you are the one with the powers of seduction. Stop tempting me all the time, would you?**

The response came quickly.

**Look who very clearly did NOT use google to translate words. Not at all.**

**It’s all true.**

**Oh, Alexander. You have no idea about my powers. I would love to show you.**

Then, Magnus’ sent one last text of a gun emoji and Alec laughed out loud. He didn’t even know there was a gun emoji, but then again he didn’t know there was a man like Magnus Bane. He had a feeling his world was never going to be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are the best, so feel free to talk to me :)
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr @blj2007
> 
> So, The next chapter gets heated, all the smut is coming *hides*. It should be updated pretty soon, as I'm already about halfway done writing it, but as always, thanks for being patient with me.
> 
> I'm relying on the internet to translate for me, so I apologize if I got the Indonesian wrong in any way. Also, if you know that I did, please let me know so that I can correct it. Thank You.
> 
> And if we are talking about wine I'm absolutely going to choose Malbec. It's my favorite.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec gets back in the field with his partner and brother, Jace. An impromptu visit with Magnus takes his relationship to the next level. And of course, a coffee date is had. Sweet words are written.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so as promised, here is some smut. If for some reason that isn't your thing, and you want to skip it, then just skip over the entire middle section (there are 3 sections here). This is my first crack at writing something like this. I'm great with dialogue but struggle with the physicality of people, so this was challenging. My beautiful, talented, goddess of a beta @ladymatt saved it from being terrible. She seriously needs cowriting credit. I am a billion percent positive that she is a better writer than me, but until I talk her into writing all the sexy times for me, you all are stuck with me. Sorry.
> 
> So of course, the whole thing was beta'd by my beautiful bestie @ladymatt. M, I love you more than Simon loves Star Wars references. 
> 
> Any mistakes made are still mine, though, because M doesn't make mistakes ;)
> 
> My beautiful friend, @daemonya made the loveliest aesthetic for this. Check it out here:
> 
> https://blj2007.tumblr.com/post/158483209651/daemonya-aesthetic-for-the-amazing-fanfic-in

 

“Hello, Earth to Alec,” Jace said, waving a hand in front of his face.

“Stop that. I’m trying to concentrate on our job,” Alec grumbled.

Jace laughed and punched him in the arm. “Yeah right buddy, there is nothing to concentrate on. I don’t even know why they felt they needed security at this house. Nothing exciting going on here at all.

“That can change at any time and you know it,” Alec said, not taking his eyes off the expanse of front lawn in front of them.

“Yes, I know, but you are aware that you can give the trees a death stare while also listening to your brother talk, right?”

“I’m listening to you.” Alec turned his head and looked at Jace to prove his point. “See.”

Jace smirked. “Now you are, but you weren’t. I was talking for five minutes and you didn’t hear a word.”

“I did. I just don’t love the sound of my own voice, like you.”

“Oh, ok, what did I say then?” his brother asked, rolling his eyes.

Alec knew he was busted, but he’d never admit it. The truth was that Jace had been rambling on about some girl and he was totally uninterested, instead his thoughts kept wandering to Magnus. It was way too easy to think about goodbye kisses.

Since their last coffee date, they had talked and texted several times over the weekend, and as promised, they saw each other Monday. Alec had taken Magnus out to his favorite pizza place. It was another great evening filled with sharing, laughter, and, of course, a lot of flirting. It had ended the same way the last date had, with a passionate kiss that ended too soon and left Alec more than a little wanting.

“ _And_ , you are doing it again. Seriously, Alec. What is with you?!” Jace huffed out, crossing his arms and giving him a stern look.

“I told you. I was listening. You were talking about a girl...or your hair. Probably both,” Alec said, shifting his weight and leaning his tall frame back against the building.

“Nice try. Now tell me what has you so distracted.” Jace held his steady gaze, showing no sign that he was going to drop the interrogation anytime soon.

Alec groaned and starting chewing his bottom lip. “I was thinking about a guy, ok. A guy I’m dating.”

“The same guy from the date where Izzy dressed you?” Jace asked, causing Alec to groan loudly. He shouldn’t be surprised that his sister had told Jace all about helping him get ready for that date.

“Yeah, the same guy,” he admitted reluctantly.

“Is it serious?” Jace asked, his expression softening. He knew how hard it was for Alec to talk about his feelings, and it was clear he was rethinking his intense approach.

“It could be, I think. It’s just all a little too good to be true right now, if that makes sense,” he said, thinking about how successful Magnus was, how he made him laugh often, but also how made him feel desired and special.

“Why too good to be true?” Jace asked.

“He’s just...he’s...well…he’s way out of my league for starters,” Alec admitted, shrugging his shoulders like that statement should have told Jace everything he needed to know about the situation.

“Shut the hell up, Alec.” Jace said angrily. “Don’t do that. It’s times like these that I really can’t fucking stand our parents for all their bullshit and what it has done to your self-esteem.”

“What does my self-esteem have to do with how perfect Magnus is?” Alec asked, registering too late that he had just told his brother the name of the man he was dating. He predicted Izzy would know by the end of the day. His siblings were such suckers for gossip, especially when it involved him.

“Because you are telling me that he’s too good for you, and that can’t be true. You are a good guy, Alec. And all of Izzy’s friends talk about how handsome you are, or whatever. Apparently everyone digs the dark, tall and broody look. Which is total bullshit if you ask me, but whatever. You don’t look as good as me, obviously, but you aren’t bad. I don’t care how perfect you think this “Magnus” guy is. If he has your attention, then he’s damn lucky and I hope he’s worthy of it.”

“He is. And, thanks? I guess. Now can we please stop talking about it?” Alec pleaded.

“Good, and no, we can’t. What’s the problem?” Jace gave him a knowing look.

“Who said there was a problem?” Alec raised one eyebrow at him.

“I know that look. You are overthinking something. What’s going on?”

Alec really didn’t want to get into this conversation with Jace. He was definitely not telling Jace that all he could think about was going over to Magnus’ house and taking things to the next level as soon as they were done with this shift.

“Damn Jace, nothing. Can’t a guy think about the person he’s dating?! At least I’m not blabbing about it nonstop like you. Some things need to be kept private.”

“Ooooooh. So you were thinking about _private_ things. I get it now. You coulda just said that.”

Alec punched his brother hard on the arm. “Shut up. Just keep your eyes open,” but he couldn’t hide his smile. He checked his watch. Only one more hour and then he could text Magnus and see if it was possible to see him tonight. He wasn’t even sure if Magnus had plans or not, and it was already after eight. By the time he went home to shower and change, Magnus would probably be out with friends, considering he was way too cool to stay home and be boring on Friday night. It had only been four days since he had seen him last, and they had spoken on the phone several times. In the past day and a half it had just been short text messages, as Magnus had been really busy preparing for an event taking place this weekend. He really shouldn’t be missing the man this much, considering how much he had been seeing him the past few weeks, but clearly his body didn’t care what his brain thought he should or shouldn’t be feeling.

Alec must’ve really been out of his mind, because next thing he knew, he was asking Jace about his new girlfriend, just to distract himself from all the thoughts swirling around his head. He was just happy to get the focus off of him again. He nodded in all the right places, and asked questions, but his thoughts still kept flitting back to Magnus. He had it so bad for this man.

* * *

 Alec looked down at his phone, double checking the address before he knocked on the door to the Manhattan Penthouse loft. He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting nervously. As soon as he had gotten off duty and said his goodbyes to Jace, he had texted Magnus telling him that he missed him and asking what his plans were for the night. Magnus answered with nothing but an address and a winky face in his usual bold and direct way. Alec had taken the fastest shower of his life and thrown on a black t-shirt, black jeans, and boots. He made it to Magnus’ apartment in record time, and was now rethinking that, worried that it would make him seem desperate. He took a deep breath and knocked.

Magnus opened the door quickly. “Alexander, hello. Come in,” he said, holding the door open for him. He was dressed in an emerald green silk tunic and loose black pants. His necklaces laying in the low neckline of his tunic caught Alec’s attention and he forced his gaze back up to kohl rimmed eyes. _Say something, stupid._

“Hey, sorry to make plans last minute like this. I know you’ve been busy. I hope it’s okay,” he said as he walked inside the loft.

“Nonsense. This is a wonderful surprise after an exhausting day.” Magnus gave him a quick kiss and a soft smile. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

He followed Magnus into the loft, “I ate earlier with Jace, but, um, a drink sounds great.”

“Of course. What would you like? A _drink_ drink perhaps?” Magnus asked, a look of satisfaction on his face as he used Alec’s words from their date.

Alec laughed, “Am I ever going to live that down? And whatever you have is fine,” he said looking around the loft. It was beautiful and unique, and so very Magnus.

“I doubt it. It was adorable.” Magnus said as he went to his drink cart.

 _Adorable. Great._ That wasn’t exactly the vibe he wanted to give off tonight. “Your place is nice.”

“Thank You. This building was actually quite hard to get into. I was on a list for several years. I’m very happy to have it. It was worth the time and effort, of course, as all the best things are.” Magnus handed him a glass of some sort of mixed drink.

“Right,” He took a sip, and was pleasantly surprised at the fruity flavor with just a hint of alcohol. He took a deep breath, trying to shake his nerves.

“Do you want to sit down? Or are we going to my bedroom?” Magnus asked him with his normal cool confidence.

That definitely brought heat to his cheeks, because that’s exactly what he had been thinking about all day. Before he could stop himself, he was asking, “How do you do that? Just say exactly what you are thinking?”

“I’ve had a lot of practice at not caring what anyone thinks about me. Once you lose that, it’s easy. You can try it sometime with me, if you want.” Magnus said, sitting down on the couch. Alec only hesitated for a moment before he followed and sat down next to him. He took another sip, thankful for the glass in his hand to focus on.

“You seem really keyed up, Alec. Did something happen today? Do you want to talk about it?” Magnus looked concerned.

“It was actually a very boring and long day. I thought a lot about you, and I know you have a busy weekend coming up, but I wanted to see you. The other day, when we had coffee, you said that I could come over anytime.”

“I did say that, and I meant it. I’m glad you are here. I have to be at an event tomorrow to make sure everything runs smoothly, but all of our preparations are done. I was actually planning to stay in tonight, but we can go out if you want. Do you have anything particular in mind that you want to do?”

Alec knew the answer to that. He just couldn’t get his mouth to say the words.

Magnus waited patiently, and when Alec didn’t say anything after a few moments, he asked, “Do you want to watch a movie?”

Alec shook his head.

“Want to go out on the town?”

He shook his head again.

“Take a nap?”

That got a laugh out of him, “ _Definitely_ not.”

Magnus slid closer to him on the couch, until their legs were touching. Alec’s nerves got the best of him and he leaned his head back, resting it on the couch, and closing his eyes, trying to get the butterflies in his stomach to chill the fuck out already. After a few moments he felt the couch shift and opened his eyes to see Magnus leaning into him, their lips just inches away from each other. “Do you want me to kiss you?” Magnus whispered.

Alec nodded, unable to form words, and Magnus’ lips met his. It was soft and slow at first, with the heat building as they explored each others mouths. Alec leaned into Magnus and reached a hand out to cup the back of his neck, holding him in place so that he could deepen the kiss. They went on like that for a few minutes, lost in the tangle of lips and tongues. Alec felt like he couldn’t breathe, but didn’t want to break the kiss to catch his breath. He changed the angle, taking a quick breath as he did, and found new ways to explore Magnus’ mouth. On instinct, he captured Magnus bottom lip between his and sucked, eliciting a whimper from him.

Magnus broke off the kiss, and Alec searched his face, hoping he hadn’t done anything wrong, but all he saw there were swollen lips and eyes full of lust. He was still leaning over Alec, his mouth open, breathing heavily, when he asked, “How far do you want to take this?”

Heat pooled in Alec’s stomach as he answered quickly, “As far as we want.”

Magnus stood up, keeping his intense gaze on Alec. He paused in front of him and seemed to be deciding something, before asking, “Do you remember the conversation we had about control?”

“How could I forget?” Alec’s breathing accelerated just thinking about it.

“I’d like to start with number four and work our way down to one.” Magnus said.

Alec was momentarily confused with talk of numbers, until his brain caught up.... _Oh. OH. Right._

“I think it’s a good place to begin, if you want to tonight, but I’ll be the one taking the lead, so I need to make sure you are comfortable with that.” He said matter of factly, like they were discussing the weather and not sex.

Alec’s mind was spinning at the possibilities of what number four could be. He wasn’t the most experienced, and definitely not as experienced as Magnus, but he wasn’t apprehensive at all. He usually liked to be in charge, he really did, but in this moment, the thought of Magnus in control was so hot that he felt like he was going to combust from the thought alone.

“Okay,” he said, “Number four, it is.”

“I can’t read your mind, so you have to talk to me, okay? Tell me if you want to stop, or do something different,” Magnus said, suddenly serious.

“I’m well aware of your lack of mind reading skills, Magnus,” he said playfully.

Magnus smirked devilishly, and pulled his own shirt up and over his head in one smooth motion, and then removed his necklaces slowly, one by one, and placed them gently on the coffee table. All snarky comments left Alec’s mind. He was utterly dumbfounded.

“Whoa,” he said as his eyes raked over the most toned chest and stomach he had ever seen. He was in pretty good shape himself, but Magnus looked like he was carved from stone. He didn’t even look real. He let his eyes wander down and rest on the waistband of Magnus’ low pants. He was very tempted to reach out and hook a finger in them, and pull him down on top of him. That idea went out the window as soon as Magnus stepped closer and looked down at him like he was something to be devoured.

“That reaction makes my early morning workouts so worthwhile, darling.” Magnus leaned down and grabbed the hem of Alec’s shirt, lifting it over his head as swiftly as his own. He took in Alec’s naked chest, “Mmmmmm. And now I’m thankful for _your_ workouts.”

He grabbed each of Alec’s legs, just above his knees, and easily tugged him down, so that he was in a reclined position. Alec only had time to be surprised for a moment before Magnus nudged the inside of his thigh with his knee, wordlessly urging him to spread his legs wider apart. He complied without a second thought, and watched as Magnus stood in between them.

Alec was frozen, cool air on his chest, but still feeling as if he had a fever, adrenaline pumping through his veins in anticipation of what Magnus’ next move would be.

Magnus leaned down again, placed both hands on Alec’s thighs, and began slowly inching his face closer. He was expecting a kiss, but Magnus only lightly ghosted his lips over Alec’s before moving on and whispering in his ear, “You are lovely, Alexander.” before proceeding to suck on his neck.

Alec tilted his head, giving Magnus full access, and found his voice. “If you keep saying my name like that, I’m not going to last very long,” he whispered.

“Maybe that’s my intent. If I wanted to drag this out, believe me, I could, but I’m rather impatient at the moment, ” Magnus said before kissing down his neck. Alec shivered at the feeling of hot breath on his skin. Magnus changed sides and gently nipped at his earlobe with his teeth before dragging them slowly down his neck. Everytime he got used to a sensation, Magnus would switch it up and set a new area of his body ablaze.

“The way your breathing gets increasingly shallow while I’m doing this is my new favorite thing, Alexander,” Magnus said.

 _Fuck._ His cock twitched and Alec began to really wonder how he was going to last longer than a few minutes. Between what Magnus was doing and what he was saying, he didn’t stand a chance. Magnus kissed along his collarbone and then went to work on his chest, his hands still gripping Alec’s thighs firmly, and his hair brushing softly against Alec’s chin. God, he smelled amazing. Alec idly wondered what shampoo he used.

Magnus continued the trail down Alec’s body, even as he lowered himself down on his knees. Alec’s hazy mind snapped to attention as it quickly caught up to what number four could be. He couldn’t believe his luck in life that this gorgeous, witty, intelligent man was kneeling between his legs. It was as if he had stepped into an alternate universe. Needing to touch him, Alec reached out and ran the back of his fingers down Magnus’ jaw, causing him to pause and lean into Alec’s touch as he closed his eyes. Alec watched him, completely captivated by how beautiful he was.

Magnus reached to take Alec’s hand in his own, brushing it along his parted lips. Alec shuddered and closed his eyes. It was almost too much, watching and feeling at the same time.

“Look at me,” Magnus said, and he listened, despite the risk of sensory overload. He looked up just in time to see his entire index finger disappear into Magnus’ mouth. He felt it being caressed by the swirling tongue as he sucked on it, before pulling it back out, very, very slowly.

Alec’s entire body reacted in a way he had never experienced before. He closed his eyes again and threw his head back, moaning far too loudly. Where he was aroused before, he was fully hard now, his hips jerking up involuntarily, seeking Magnus. “Wha..what..” he tried and failed to form a complete sentence.

Magnus had already dropped his hand and was running his fingers through the soft hair on his chest and kissing his stomach. “That was me showing you how quickly I can move things along. If I wish.”

“Holy shit,” he choked out, forcing himself to stay still and not grind against Magnus’ chest, which took an insane amount of willpower.

Magnus smiled against his taut body, venturing further down with open mouthed kisses, while brushing gentle fingers over his nipples. Alec reached out and placed a hand on Magnus’ strong shoulder, enjoying the contrast of tight muscle and smooth skin. It may not have helped him come back down to earth, but it was worth it. Magnus ran his tongue slowly up the dip in his abs, and then back down again, stopping when he got to Alec’s belt.

Magnus looked up at Alec, a clear question in his eyes.

 _Yes. Yes. Please.Yes._ he thought as he nodded eagerly. He expected the other man to undo his belt, but was once again surprised, when he pressed his lips to Alec’s clothed erection instead. Alec dug his fingers into Magnus’ shoulder in response. Too soon the lips were gone, moving around to his hip and back up his side. _You’re going the wrong way_ , he almost said out loud, but the words died on his lips when Magnus grabbed his length and squeezed. Alec’s hips jerked, his pants way too restricting, and he found himself wishing that he had the ability to snap his fingers and make clothing disappear. “Magnus,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Patience is a virtue, my dear,” Magnus teased, but he went to work on Alec’s belt. He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, and Alec wasted no time lifting his hips to make it easier for him to tug them down. For some reason he had been expecting Magnus to only remove his pants, leaving his boxer briefs, but he thanked the stars above when both came off.

Magnus looked up at him through hooded eyes, before lowering his face and kissing the skin along his hip and thigh. When he slicked his tongue up the inside of his leg, Alec lost his breath, so worked up that he was practically shaking in anticipation. He briefly wondered if he might hyperventilate and pass out, considering the way his breathing got impossibly fast. Magnus reached up and splayed a reassuring hand across Alec’s stomach. “Easy,” he said, never wavering from the job almost-in-hand.

 _Easy?!_ He tried to stay still, to focus on the sensation without completely floating away. He was drowning in lust, sweating, burning from the inside out, and he needed something only Magnus could give him. It was so good, and he never wanted it to end, yet every touch pushed him closer.

Magnus switched sides and started in on his other thigh, and Alec focused on the feel of the beautifully strong hand being used to anchor him to the couch. His eyes fluttered open and closed, frequently trying to see what Magnus was doing, but the combination of watching him and _feeling_ him was threatening to send him over the edge even faster, and he could only take so much. He opened his eyes again to see Magnus’ face so very close to where Alec wanted it the most, as he slowly pressed his lips lightly to every inch of skin. He slid his hand down Alec’s stomach to his left hip, before gently blowing on the tip of his dick. His hips tried to buck in response, but Magnus’ hand held him firmly in place.

“Magnus, please…. _Fuck_ ,” he whined, not even caring how he sounded. He would have gotten on his knees and begged for Magnus to put his mouth on him if that’s what it took.

“Well, since you said please,” Magnus said. He swiped his tongue from the root to the tip of his cock and brushed at it lightly before making a slow descent, taking him in until he hit the back of his throat. He slowly sucked his way up, and pulled off with a pop. The sound was music to Alec’s ears, while the vision was better than anything he could dream of. With a mischievous wink, Magnus greedily repeated the motion, starting with his tongue at the base, and stopping at the tip, when he reached down and cupped Alec’s balls in his hand, squeezing gently. He slid his hand up and wrapped it around him, stroking Alec while he sucked him.

Alec was so close already, and he couldn’t help the string of words that were coming out of his mouth, “Magnus, I..fuck...oh..OH..FUCK...I’m....”

That prompted Magnus to double his efforts, as his tongue worked faster, and he sucked harder. Then, just as Alec started thrusting up into his mouth, just one or two strokes away from completion, Magnus pulled off again, and gripped the base hard between his thumb and fingers, effectively halting his orgasm.

Alec was both thankful for more time, and dying for his release. Magnus, still holding him firmly in his hand, rose up off his knees, grabbed Alec’s neck with his other hand and kissed him hard. Alec poured everything he had into the kiss, their teeth clashing for a moment, both of them frantic. He placed his hands on Magnus’ head, deciding that he couldn’t be passive any longer, or he was going to burn from the inside out. He ran his fingers through dark locks, tugging gently as Magnus moaned into his mouth, adding fuel to the fire. He pressed harder, just balancing on the edge between pleasure and pain before he pulled back, capturing Magnus’ bottom lip between his teeth and gently biting it. Magnus threw his head back, and Alec seized the chance to capture his Adam’s apple.

That proved to be the final straw for Magnus, as he loosened his hold on Alec’s cock, building the friction with every last stroke, before saying in a velvety voice, “Come for me, Alexander.”

And come for him, he did. Sensation exploding through his body, and his release going all over Magnus’ hand and his own stomach. He was sure every molecule in his body was buzzing, and his limbs felt like jello. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he registered Magnus wiping them down and draping his body over Alec’s chest. They laid like that in silence for a few minutes, before Alec regained use of his limbs and wrapped his arms around Magnus, lazily rubbing circles on his back. He opened his eyes to see that Magnus was looking up at him.

“You ok?” he asked.

“Am I okay? Are you kidding? That was incredible. We should have done that a week ago.” Alec said, kissing him on the forehead.

“I tried,” Magnus responded.

He laughed, “That you did. Don’t worry. I’m sure you won’t have to try hard to get me naked in the future. Speaking of which, why do you still have your pants on?” Alec asked, tucking his fingers under Magnus’ waistband.

“Because you haven’t taken them off of me yet, darling.” Magnus answered.

Alec held on to Magnus as he stood up and flipped them, laying Magnus down on the couch and lying on top of him. “Well, we can’t have that,” he said softly, “Allow me to return the favor.” and he slid a hand down Magnus’ stomach.

* * *

Alec walked into the coffee shop five minutes late with a huge smile plastered on his face, and was happy to see that Magnus was sitting at their normal table, _without_ a cup of coffee. He couldn’t help from giving his date a smug look as he walked over. “Hey, how are you?” he asked, leaning down and giving him a quick kiss.

“I’m glad you asked. Considering that Simon refuses to sell me coffee, I have definitely been better. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” Magnus folded his arms across his chest and squinted his beautiful eyes at Alec.

“Hmmm, strange, let me go see what I can do about getting you your elixir of life.” Alec kissed him one more time on the cheek and went over to the counter to place an order with Simon. He was pleased that the barista had managed to resist Magnus, even in the wake of his pouting, as he could only imagine how good of a case he made to get the stuff.

“Hey, Alec. Boy is he grumpy without his coffee. But I did what you said. If he murders me one day, it’s totally your fault.”

“Your sacrifice is noted. Can we have our usual, please?” he asked, and then pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket.

“Sure. What do you want me to put on them?” Simon asked.

Alec hesitated, and considered just asking Simon for a sharpie and writing the words on the cups himself, but he didn’t want Magnus to see him do it.

Noticing that he was apprehensive, Simon began to ramble. “You know that I don’t know Indonesian, right?! I have no idea what they say, and I don’t go looking them up or anything. That would be a gross invasion of privacy, and a little too ‘dark side’ for me. I’m a light side guy!”

Alec leveled a stare at him and slid the piece of paper across the counter. “The first word goes on his.” he said, his tone unimpressed.

“Got it, cool. Hey uh, he always says no, but totally just checking to see if maybe you want me to draw a picture on there too, or not. I could surprise you or you could tell me what to draw if you want. It’s totally up to you.” Simon said, holding a marker up in the air as if that would prove his drawing abilities.

Alec almost said no, it was right on the tip of his tongue, but then an idea hit him. “Actually. Yeah, uh…” he looked back to make sure Magnus wasn’t paying attention, and when he was satisfied that he was distracted with his phone, he leaned in and asked quietly, “Can you draw a gun? Like a handgun, on mine? And the number three on his?

Simon raised an eyebrow at him and then broke out in a huge smile as he began drawing, “Man, this is so interesting. How lucky am I to get to participate in this?! I wonder what this could be about. So many options. Should I try to guess? Could be fun.”

Alec blurted out, “No! None of your guesses would be right, and even if they were, I would never tell you.” he said, moving down the counter to collect his coffees, shutting Simon up.

He dropped a twenty in the tip jar when they were done, for all his trouble and to hopefully discourage any guessing, and took the drinks to the table where Magnus was waiting.

He sat the other man’s coffee in front of him and took a sip of his own.

“Thank you, Alexander. Hmmmm, What do we have here? _Sempurna_? Really? Did google tell you the wrong word?”

“Nope, it’s supposed to say that.” Alec answered him with confidence.

“Alright, so let’s say that I do believe that ‘perfect’ could be an adjective to describe me, that still does not explain this number 3 right here.” Magnus pointed to the cup, his eyes twinkling.  
Alec slid his own cup over to Magnus, turning it around so that that he could see the word on his as well. It had the word “bahagia” and the little drawing of the gun.

Magnus laughed, “Your gun makes me happy? That’s completely true. It is a pretty impressive gun. I’ve been up close and personal with it.”

Alec blushed, “No. You make me happy.” He picked his cup back up, “Can I see you this weekend?”

“For a perfect number three?” Magnus asked.

“For a date. I want to take you out, spend time with you.” Alec answered.

“And for number three? Because now it’s on my mind.” Magnus teased.

“Well, if you are going to twist my arm...” he said jokingly.

“Oh, I’ll twist more than that.”

Alec choked on his drink, “You win.”

“We both win. Trust me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are the best, so feel free to talk to me :) I don't know why smut is so hard, but it is. So sorry if you didn't like it. *hides*
> 
> You can also find me on Tumblr @blj2007
> 
> I'm relying on the internet to translate for me, so I apologize if I got the Indonesian wrong in any way. Also, if you know that I did, please let me know so that I can correct it. Thank You.
> 
> As always, These characters are not mine and belong to Cassandra Clare and Freeform Shadowhunters TV. :)


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